Perfect Husband Act: Now My Wife's Sorry

After I fail my mission, the system grants me three days to say goodbye. For the first time, I become the perfect husband in Kristen Snowe's eyes. I stop waiting up for her when she doesn't come home. I stop fighting with her over the money she keeps giving to her childhood friend, Jake Leigh. On the first day, she scoffs at me. "If you'd acted like this from the beginning, I wouldn't feel so sick and tired of you!" On the second day, she starts to get suspicious. "That's it? You're not mad? You're not up to something, are you?" By the third day, she's the one falling apart. "Honey… Why aren't you jealous anymore?" I smile. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" Chapter 1 By the time the system declared my mission a failure, Kristen Snowe had already been gone for three days. "Host, you only have three days left in this world," the system said with a sigh. "If there's anything you want to do, you'd better do it now. Don't leave yourself with any regrets." I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. We'd been together for five years and married for three. I'd always believed that Kristen would fall in love with me one day if I just kept trying. But when the system checked her affection level one last time, it found that it still hadn't reached the minimum threshold. My mission was officially deemed a failure. In three days, I'd be sent back to the world I came from. Maybe that was for the best. After all these years, I was exhausted. Still, I wanted to say goodbye properly. I wanted to spend my final days with her, even if it was only for a little while. I called her again and again, refusing to give up. Finally, worn down by my persistence, Kristen answered. The moment she picked up, her voice was edged with impatience. "Peter York, do you not understand what I said? I already told you—unless you apologize to Jake Leigh, don't contact me again!" Her words hit me like a blow to the chest, leaving behind a dull, lingering ache. Fighting the pain, I forced my words out. "Alright." Kristen clearly hadn't expected me to agree so quickly. Silence hung on the other end of the line for a moment. I spoke again. "I made your favorite pasta bolognese. Will you come home for dinner?" She let out a derisive snort. "If you'd acted like this from the beginning, you wouldn't have been so exhausting to be with. "We'll see. You upset Jake so badly the other day that his heart's been acting up. I need to stay with him." With that, she hung up without another word. … This all started three days ago, when Jake Leigh had posted a birthday update on social media. It was a photo of him and Kristen. The caption read, "Having you beside me makes even the end of the world feel a little less frightening." They were smiling brightly at the camera, their heads nearly touching. They looked every bit the picture-perfect couple. The comments quickly filled with teasing remarks and knowing jokes. No one said it outright, but everyone was implying the same thing. I had left one of my own. "You do make a great match." Within minutes, Jake deleted that post. Not long after, Kristen called me. The moment I answered, she exploded. "Peter, what the hell is wrong with you? It's Jake's birthday. Did you have to pull something like that today?" A man's voice came through the speaker, tinged with guilt. "Kristen… Did Peter get the wrong idea? Maybe I should apologize to him. I don't want the two of you arguing because of me." Kristen didn't even pause to think. "Peter just thinks everything has to be about him," she said dismissively. "What could possibly be more important than your birthday?" I tightened my grip on the phone. "What about our wedding anniversary?" Silence ensued. For a split second, she had nothing to say. She'd forgotten. Jake spoke up again before she could. "Wait… Today's your wedding anniversary? Kristen, you should go home. Spend the day with Peter. Don't let this turn into a fight because of me." Kristen gave a mocking laugh. "Oh, come on. It's just an anniversary. We can celebrate it any year. Everyone's finally here to celebrate your birthday. I'm not leaving just because he's throwing a tantrum." The line went dead after that. Chapter 2 I looked at the table full of dishes I'd spent the entire afternoon preparing for her. Steam slowly faded from the food until they were stone cold. Somewhere along the way, so had my heart. My phone buzzed with a text from an unfamiliar number. It read, "You don't know when to quit, do you? Did you honestly think you could compete with everything Kristen and I have been through together? All it would take is a single phone call, and she'd leave you behind without a second thought." I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Once upon a time, if anyone had told me Kristen would abandon me for another man, I would've called them insane. Now the truth was right in front of me, impossible to ignore. Kristen didn't come home that night, either. The next morning, I walked into the kitchen, finding Kristen already eating breakfast. She was smiling at her phone, her fingers flying across the screen as she texted someone. The smile vanished the instant she saw me. "We're going to see Jake tonight," she said coldly. "You're apologizing to him. Do you have any idea what your comment did? He was miserable all night. I even saw him wiping away tears when he thought no one was looking." A humorless laugh escaped me. "You want me to apologize? For what? For being upset that my wife spent our wedding anniversary celebrating another man's birthday?" Her expression hardened as she shot to her feet and raised her voice. "Peter York, Jake and I grew up together! If there were ever going to be something between us, it would've happened long before you came along. "His family's gone bankrupt. He's having the hardest time of his life, and I'm just trying to be there for him as a friend. Why do you insist on twisting everything into something dirty?" I stared down at the table before quietly asking, "So when you and Jake made out in front of everyone at the bar… Was that just what friends do?" Her expression faltered for the briefest moment before anger took over. "I've already explained that! It was a stupid party game, and that was the punishment. Why do you keep blowing everything out of proportion? "If you don't trust me, maybe we should spend some time apart. Stay home and think about what you've become." I watched her walk away. At some point, we'd forgotten how to have a normal conversation. Every word between us turned into an argument. I couldn't remember when the kind, patient woman I'd fallen in love with had disappeared. Or maybe, she'd only stopped being that person with me. I lowered my head, my chest aching with a pain I could no longer endure. From that day on, Kristen never came home again. That said, thanks to Jake's social media, it wasn't hard to keep track of what she'd been up to. "My favorite beef taco in the whole city. Watching you painstakingly pick out every last piece of cilantro for me almost made me feel like we'd gone back to the good old days." "My brave girl was terrified of the drop tower but still rode it with me. Seeing how pale you were afterward almost made me feel bad…" "A little kid mistook us for a couple today and asked when we were getting married. I nearly died laughing." It was less a social media feed than a daily reminder that he intended to stake his claim. In every photo, Kristen looked radiant—laughing freely, with her eyes shining brighter than I'd seen in a long time. I stared at the screen, lost in thought. I couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled at me like that. Chapter 3 Kristen had reserved a private room. By the time I arrived, almost everyone was already there. The moment I stepped inside, every conversation seemed to pause. The crowd all turned toward me, sizing me up with barely concealed amusement. We were all in the same social circle. Everyone knew exactly what had been going on between Kristen, Jake, and me. It didn't take long for someone to break the silence. "Well, if it isn't Peter. I'm surprised you actually showed up." Another person laughed. "What's so surprising? Kristen told him to come and apologize to Jake, didn't she? No matter how proud he is, he still has to listen to her." They all watched in silence, eager to see how this would play out. Kristen didn't even glance my way. She sat on the couch with Jake beside her, the two of them close enough that their shoulders nearly touched. I walked over, picked up a glass, and filled it with vodka. Holding it up, I looked around the room. "Since everyone's here, I'd like you all to be my witnesses. This toast is my apology to Jake." Jake shot to his feet, waving his hands in alarm. "Peter, what are you doing? You don't owe me an apology. As long as you stop making things difficult for Kristen, we're fine. Say whatever you need to say. I won't hold it against you." Kristen frowned the moment those words left his mouth. "What are you talking about? He should apologize to you. I've been looking out for you since we were kids. No one's going to bully you as long as I'm here." Jake looked almost embarrassed. "Peter, you don't have to do this. Just take a sip if you want. I promise I'm not upset. As long as we've cleared the air, that's all that matters. "And Kristen's always been like this. She gets ridiculously protective of the people she cares about. If she ever gives you a hard time, let me know. I'll talk to her for you." I smiled but said nothing. Instead, I raised my glass. "Jake, I'm sorry for what happened. I let my imagination get the better of me, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Here's to a fresh start. I hope we can be friends." Then I tipped back the glass and drained it in one swallow. For the first time that evening, Kristen looked like she wanted to say something. Her lips parted, only to press together again. She was the only person in the room who knew I was allergic to alcohol. And yet, she said nothing. Seeing me finish the drink without hesitation, someone jeered, "Well, you've got guts. I'll give you that. But one glass? That's hardly an apology. If you're really sincere, you should finish the whole bottle." Laughter rippled through the room. Not long ago, no one would've dared humiliate me like this. Back then, everyone knew Kristen had my back. Now, they all knew who mattered more. Kristen frowned, looking as though she was about to put an end to it. Before she could speak, Jake sighed. "It's okay, Peter," he said quietly. "I just hope you won't come to my office and slap me again. I'm trying to make a living on my own now. If you have a problem with me, you can come talk to me in private." Kristen's voice rose sharply. "He went to your office? When?" Jake hesitated. "Not long after I started working there." A cold smile spread across Kristen's face. She turned to me, her gaze sharp enough to cut. I met her eyes without flinching. "Yes. I went to see him." Jake had only just returned from overseas when his family's business went under. From then on, he always seemed to have a reason to call Kristen away. There was always some excuse—a fever, needing someone to remind him to take his medicine, feeling down and wanting someone to talk to… It was one little thing after another. At first, I told myself it was only temporary. But once became twice, and twice became countless times. Before long, the arguments between us had become routine. "Kristen, I'm your husband! You're running out in the middle of the night to be with another man. Do you really think that doesn't hurt me? He's a grown man. He can take care of himself. "Why can't you be there for me the way you're always there for him? I need you too." There were moments when I could see the conflict in her eyes. But in the end, she always chose Jake. I kept swallowing my anger until the day he sent me a photo. It was him and Kristen in his office, locked in a lingering embrace. That was the last straw. I got in my car and drove straight there. He looked at me with a smug smile. "Peter, you were never anything more than a placeholder while I was gone. Now that I'm back, take the hint and step aside. Otherwise, you're only going to embarrass yourself. "We've got plenty of old photos together. If that one wasn't enough, I've got more. Some of them are a lot more intimate. Want to see those too?" I'd had enough, so I slapped him across the face. He rubbed his cheek. Then, to my disbelief, he smiled. "What? Think you can keep her? Or do you already know you're about to lose her?" Jake lowered his head, still playing the wounded victim. Now, when Kristen found out, she was furious. "Peter, I always thought you were just jealous. I never imagined you could be this cruel. You make me sick!" Her eyes landed on the bottle of wine on the table. "It's one bottle of liquor. What's the big deal?" She knew I was allergic to alcohol. I stared at her in disbelief. "Kristen, is this really how little faith you have in me?" She let out a cold laugh. "Have you done anything to deserve my trust? Or was this whole apology just another performance? Did you really think showing up here would make me forget everything you've done?" Every word landed like another blow. Before coming here, I'd still been clinging to one last shred of hope. I told myself she'd only been misled. Or maybe she'd spoken in anger and was simply waiting for me to take the first step toward making things right. But as I looked at the bottle sitting in front of me, I finally understood. There was no misunderstanding, no hidden reason. I just didn't matter to her as much as he did. Kristen, I'd had enough. I smiled, my voice breaking as I looked at the bottle between us. "If I finish this… does that settle everything between Jake and me?" Kristen met my gaze without a trace of warmth. "You're asking the wrong person. You're the one who wronged Jake. Whether you're forgiven is up to him." I swallowed the lump in my throat and let out a quiet laugh. "Alright. Then I'll drink." As I reached for the bottle, one of Kristen's friends suddenly stepped forward. "Don't! He's allergic to alcohol. If he drinks that whole bottle, it could kill him." Kristen's voice came from beside me, light and indifferent. "No one's forcing him. He's doing it of his own free will." I gently removed the hand trying to stop me. "Thank you," I said quietly. Then, I lifted the bottle and drank as tears streamed silently down my face. I supposed this was the price I'd have to pay for believing in the wrong person. Everything around me grew hazy as my body stopped listening to me. The last thing I saw was Kristen rushing toward me, panic etched across her face. Loving Kristen was exhausting, so I'd let her go.